KISSING EYES MAGAZINE

Tommy Keith

Where are you from/based now?

I was raised in a small town called Port Sydney, ON but currently live in Montreal, QC.

What is your background in Photography? What keeps you interested?

I haven't had any formal training in photography other than some high school classes. I started out shooting photos of my buddies skateboarding and snowboarding, but the bug really started when my Grandpa gave me his retired 35mm camera.

I like the idea of collecting photographs and remembering what was going on at the time it was taken. Beyond that I think it's just become an obsession I can't kick.

What equipment do you use?

Pentax 6x7 with some Portra, and sometimes a Minolta X-500.

Do you take one shot of a subject then move on or will you take several and decide on the best in editing?

If I have my phone with me I'll take a couple photos on that to see if it's worth it. If it's something that really gets me going, and I have a couple frames to spare, I won't hesitate to shoot it more than once from different angles. For the most part, though, I’ll only shoot one frame.

What do you look for when you are out shooting?

I look for scenes I don't normally see. Just going out for walks with the Pentax and looking for things that catch my eye is something that I like doing. Besides intentional photo walks, I document where I am and what I’m doing for memories sake.

How often do you go out shooting?

Depends on the time of year. During the winter months I don't get out shooting as much as I would like, but once it starts getting warmer I keep my camera on me as much as possible.

Is there a particular photographer, site, set of images or a photo book that you keep coming back to for inspiration?

Alexander Gronsky is a big inspiration, but the people who I hang out with and go shooting with are the biggest ones. Watching documentaries on skateboarders and artists get me excited to go shooting, whether it is an Epicly Later'd, a film like Somewhere to Disappear (2010), or even just YouTube interviews.

Are you working on a project at the moment?

I've been shooting black and white recently, so maybe something will come out of that, but as of right now school is trumping photography. I'm currently working towards a BFA in Film Production at Concordia University, and the films I've been working on have taken up most of my time.